Physicists might be one step closer to creating element 120, the heaviest element ever known, thanks to a recent breakthrough. Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have successfully produced two atoms of livermorium, element 116, using a titanium particle beam. This achievement is a crucial first step towards synthesising the elusive element 120.
A discovery, announced at the Nuclear Structure 2024 conference, was made by Berkeley Lab, which has discovered 16 of the known 118 elements. The experiment was performed using their heavy-ion accelerator, the 88-inch Cyclotron. The results, detailed in a forthcoming paper on arXiv to be submitted to Physical Review Letters, establish that it is a key discovery in the search for element 120.
"This reaction had never been demonstrated before, and it was essential to prove it was possible before embarking on our attempt to make 120," said Jacklyn Gates, a nuclear scientist at Berkeley Lab leading the effort. “The creation of a new element is an extremely rare feat. It’s exciting to be a part of the process and to have a promising path forward.”
Creating an atom of element 120 would be an even rarer feat, but the successful creation of livermorium suggests that with continued research, this goal is within reach. Scientists believe that researchers may spend many years in search of element 120.
"We needed for nature to be kind, and nature was kind," said Reiner Kruecken, director of Berkeley Lab's Nuclear Science Division. "We think it will take about 10 times longer to make 120 than 116. It's not easy, but it seems feasible now."